David Fizdale has already watched replays of too many Grizzlies games from this past season to count.

He’s contacted all but two players on the roster, and will soon fly to see each of them in person. The Grizzlies’ new head coach will be heavily involved in the June 23 NBA draft and is passionate about coaching the Grizzlies’ Las Vegas Summer League team next month.

The Griz formally introduced Fizdale Tuesday, nearly three weeks after abruptly firing Dave Joerger. An exhaustive coaching search turned into a sudden whirlwind for the first-time NBA head coach.

Fizdale hit all the right notes during a press conference in FedExForum. He praised the team’s veteran core, promised to improve the Grizzlies’ offense while keeping their grit-and-grind mentality and pledged to win a championship in Memphis.

“I came here to win and I came here to be a big part of this community,” Fizdale said. “The goal is to win a title. No doubt about it. With the pieces that we have and the pieces we’re going to put together and us working together, I see no reason why we won’t have an opportunity to take that run.”

With his mother, wife and son sitting in the front row, Fizdale, 41, acknowledged that the Grizzlies piqued his interest because of their chance to win now. He had other opportunities to pursue head coaching jobs over 13 years as an assistant. But Fizdale didn’t want to take over a team of youngsters. He wants to win now, having helped build the Miami Heat into a championship squad as an assistant under Erik Spoelstra over the past eight seasons.

Judging by Tuesday, he’ll offer a mixture of Joerger’s X’s and O’s ability and former Griz coach Lionel Hollins’ forceful nature. Fizdale said he didn’t leave the sunshine and beaches of Miami to come to Memphis and lose.

“I’m going to attack this job,” said Fizdale, who is revered as a strong communicator on and off the court.

Fizdale earned a second interview after the Griz initially pursued ex-Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel. When Vogel decided to take the Orlando Magic job, the Griz focused mainly on veteran assistants. Fizdale eventually met with team owner Robert Pera in San Jose, California, and the deal was done.

Griz general manager Chris Wallace made the recommendation after interviewing candidates over 19 days.

“David brings a championship vision with a detailed plan of how to get the Grizzlies to the next level,” Wallace said. “Most importantly, he is a high-character individual who will embrace the greater Memphis community. He is a uniquely qualified coach who can lead our team now, tomorrow and deep into the future.”

Fizdale emphasized that he doesn’t want to let go of the Grizzlies’ grit-and-grind mantra.

“I know people don’t view those Miami teams that way but that’s what we were,” Fizdale said. “That was our motto — Grind ’em. Every coach here has sustained that identity and it’s a reflection of the people here. I’m not going to lose that. I’m bringing that with me: defensive-minded and tough.”

Fizdale, though, didn’t shy away from a desire to improve the Grizzlies’ offense in terms of creating more space and pace.

“They already have some ingredients in place to have a running team, a team that can at least play with a higher pace,” Fizdale said. “I don’t envision this team as Golden State by any means from that standpoint of just getting up and down the court, going through a ton of threes, things like that. But when you have a team that has defensive habits like the Memphis Grizzlies already have — that has been built by all the coaches that have come through here, that kind of toughness and the ability to rebound the ball defensively like that — (and) you put Tony Allen in that mix as a disruptive defender, Mike Conley as a steals guy, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be getting that ball off the glass or getting deflections and steals and getting up the court a lot faster.”

Fizdale said he hasn’t hired assistant coaches yet but promised to put together “a championship staff” and put people around him to make up for his weaknesses.

Above all, the longtime assistant whose basketball playing days ended with four-year career at the University of San Diego, with a desire to be a high school head coach, is confident and determined as a first-time NBA head coach.

“Once I hit a certain point, the itch started getting there. I was waiting for that right opportunity to hit,” Fizdale said. “A few years ago, when we won a couple of titles (in Miami), I didn’t have that itch. I wanted to see that team through. How many opportunities do you have to take a run at multiple titles? I don’t care what spot you’re in. … I wasn’t jumping ship too early. I wanted to see how many rings I could rack up.

“There was a lot of stuff I got to experience as a top assistant that I wouldn’t have gotten if I had jumped right into (head coaching). So I feel very confident that I’m ready for this. Whatever I’m weak at, I’m going to hire a guy that is strong at it and can help me because I’m willing to be uncomfortable and willing to grow and listen.”

SAN FRANCISCO — Although Myspace is a mere shadow of its former self, users who had accounts on the once-mighty social networking site should be aware that their old information could be up for sale online.

Time Inc., which bought the social networking site in February, said Tuesday names and passwords from more than 360 million Myspace accounts were compromised.

According to Time, the data was limited to usernames, passwords and email addresses from the platform prior to June 11, 2013, when the site was relaunched with stronger account security.

Moribund accounts potentially dangerous

Founded in 2003, Myspace was a popular social networking site that was particularly beloved by musicians looking to build a following. In its heyday it had as many as 75 million users. But by 2008, had been eclipsed by Facebook as the largest social network worldwide.

Today, it is ranked 1,711 in popularity among sites in the United States, according toAlexa, a business analytics company now owned by Amazon.

But users who at one time had Myspace accounts could still be vulnerable if they haven’t been practicing good password hygiene.

Multiple surveys have found that between 50% and 75% of U.S. Internet users have one password they use on most if not all of their online accounts.

Hackers know this and routinely create databases of stolen emails address and passwords, which they can try on different sites to see if they work.

For example, with a known link between the email address MissPiggy@theriver.com and a password of Muppets4ever on an old Myspace list, a hacker might try the same user ID and password combination on newer sites such as Facebook, or a bank or an email account.

The number of user names and passwords in the breach is so large that even if 5% still work, “it’s still a significant number,” said Ryan Stolte, chief technology officer at Bay Dynamics, a San Francisco cyber security firm.

Criminal cyber attack rings are very organized about how they use the data the steal or buy on the cyber underground.

“They’ve got smart programs that can try variations of these passwords that will work and then they’ve got rooms of people typing in these passwords, kind of a password call center,” Stolte said.

Another danger is to former Myspace users is phishing emails. Spammers often use news of big breaches or dumps of old account information to try to trick the unwary into clicking on dangerous links. Users should beware of clicking on links in any emails purporting to be able to fix their Myspace breached info.

Working on the problem

Myspace has invalidated the passwords of all known affected users and will notify them. It is also monitoring for suspicious activity that might occur on Myspace accounts, the company said.

“Our information security and privacy teams are doing everything we can to support the Myspace team,” Jeff Bairstow, Time Inc. executive vice president and chief financial officer said in a statement.

The breach didn’t affect any of Time Inc.’s systems, subscriber information or other media properties, the company said.

Several caches of old passwords and IDs from other online platforms have appeared for sale recently. Two weeks ago LinkedIn reset passwords for as many as 117 million users whose IDs had been stolen in a 2012 breach after they went up for sale online.

SUITLAND, Md. — The federal government predicts a near-normal 2016 hurricane season for the Atlantic Basin, with four to eight hurricanes expected to form.

Overall, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts 10 to 16 named tropical storms will develop in the region, which includes the Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, the agency announced Friday. The season officially begins Wednesday and runs through Nov. 30.

Of the hurricanes, one to four could be major, with wind speeds of 111 mph or higher and rated as Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale of Hurricane Intensity. An average season typically spawns six hurricanes and peaks in August and September. A tropical storm contains wind speeds of 39 mph or higher and becomes a hurricane when winds reach 74 mph.

Tropical Storm Bonnie is likely to form off the Southeast coast Friday or Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said. Alex, an unusual January hurricane that spun out at sea, was the first storm of 2016.

AccuWeather and The Weather Channel, two of the largest private weather forecasting companies, both predicted 14 named tropical storms will form, with eight becoming hurricanes. Colorado State University meteorologists last month predicted 12 tropical storms, five of them hurricanes.

Colorado State University meteorologist William Gray, who recently passed away, was the first scientist to make seasonal hurricane forecasts in the 1980s.

​As it does every year, NOAA called for preparedness, noting it only takes one storm for a bad season. After Bonnie, the next few named storms of the Atlantic hurricane season will be Colin, Danielle, Earl and Fiona.

(NEWSER) – General Mills is voluntarily recalling 10 million pounds of flour after 38 people across 20 states contracted E. coli,Food Safety News reports. The E. coli cases were reported between Dec. 21, 2015 and May 3, 2016. The recall includes Gold Medal, Signature Kitchens, and Gold Medal Wondra flour sold at Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Shaws, Jewel, United, Randalls, and Acme. According to Reuters, about half of those diagnosed with E. coli reported cooking with flour before becoming sickened. About half of those people said they’d used a General Mills brand of flour. It’s possible some of those diagnosed with E. coli had eaten raw batter or dough, theMinneapolis Star Tribune reports.

General Mills says it’s recalling the flour “out of an abundance of caution.” No E. coli has been found in any of its products or facilities. And the company hasn’t had any consumers contact it directly about its products making them ill. “We felt it was important to not only recall the product and replace it for consumers if there was any doubt, but also to take this opportunity to remind our consumers how to safely handle flour,” the Star Tribune quotes the president of General Mills’ baking division as saying in a statement. Specifics of the recall can be found here.

Shelby County Environmental Court Judge Larry Potter on Tuesday rejected constitutional arguments against a court order that bars gang members from publicly associating with each other.

Lawyers for Earnest Williams and Joe McKnight argued last month against orders that prohibit gang members from standing, walking, driving or appearing together in the view of the public, with an exception for attending school or a place of worship.

“The law serves the legitimate government purpose of protecting neighbors from organized criminal activity in a limited geographical area, not enhanced punishment by association,” Potter said.

The Tennessee Legislature included gangs in the state’s nuisance statute in 2009. Memphis’ first injunction was ordered in 2013 against the Riverside Rolling 90’s.

“The order is narrowly tailored to make criminal activity more difficult and neighbors safer,” Potter said. “The defendants may still have a hearing on whether or not they should be subject to the order.”

Potter heard arguments April 19 from attorneys over injunctions that prohibit members of the Dixie Homes Murda Gang/47 Neighborhood Crips and FAM Mob from associating with each other in court-ordered safety zones.

Violating the orders is a C misdemeanor punishable by 30 days in jail, a maximum $50 fine, or both.

Assistant Public Defender Barbara Sidelnik argued on behalf of Williams that the injunction is unconstitutional, overly broad and vague. She said the order involves conduct protected by the Constitution and “creates a direct and substantial burden on intimate associations, especially as applied to (Williams), whose brother is also enjoined under the same order.”

According to an affidavit, detectives observed Williams May 6, 2015, standing on a front porch in the 800 block of Faxon Avenue with three other men in violation of the Dixie Homes Murda Gang/47 Neighborhood Crips injunction. The injunction covers an area bounded by Jackson to the north, Thomas to the west, Poplar to the south and Interstate 40/240 to the east.

McKnight’s case stems from safety zones set up December 2014 at the Frayser apartment complexes of Ridgecrest and Greenbriar where members of the FAM Mob cannot associate in public. McKnight became subject to the injunction, wrote attorney Joseph Crone

Assistant District Attorney Colin Campbell argued that injunctions are a way for citizens to take back their communities.

“All of these actions are an effort to support the citizens by reclaiming their community and having the ability to fully enjoy and use the land, parks and community around them,” Campbell said.

Lovell Stringfellow, 72, who lives in the Dixie Homes Murda Gang/47 Neighborhood Crips safety zone, said Tuesday she and her 6-year-old granddaughter, Kiera Stringfellow, can’t go down the steps outside their apartment without running into gang activity.

“It’s the people who don’t even live around here that are out there,” she said.

On nearby Cochran Place near Poplar, Clara Mason, 61, walked with her 2-year-old great-grandson Semaj Davis, who rode a blue and white mini-BMW.

Mason said she supports the injunction. People are “fighting all the time” and “driving crazy up and down the street,” she said.

“Do what you got to do,” she said. “It’s time for it to stop.”

Further north on Cochran, 18-year-old Justin Jackson said he does not believe people should be arrested for congregating together.

Jackson said some people might have gang affiliations simply from growing up around gangs.

“Some people are trying to turn their lives around,” he said.

Standing beside Jackson, 18-year-old J.D. Scott said people gathered together “just chilling” should not be arrested.

Memphis City Council members approved a long list of budget amendments Tuesday, including a 1.5 percent pay increase at a cost of $1.5 million for employees who aren’t working in police or fire divisions.

But the raises come at a cost — to Mayor Jim Strickland’s executive office, in particular. As part of committee chairman Edmund Ford Jr.’s motion for the pay increase, the Executive Division’s budget for personnel services was reduced by $1.5 million.

“I don’t want the person without the badge to think they’re not significant to city government,” Ford said.

The committee voted 7-1 for the pay increase, which would go into effect July 1. The council is scheduled to vote on the amended budget June 7.

Chief Financial Officer Brian Collins said the cut to the Executive Division wasn’t necessary, and that the administration could come up with the money for the pay increases in the current fiscal-year budget.

“That’s a very substantial amount on a percentage basis, and I think we’d definitely need some more time to think about this,” Collins said.

Collins said Strickland has only been in office since Jan. 1, and that he’s “entitled to move ahead with the administrative structure he’s put in place.”

The pay raise was one of the more significant actions the committee took in the final of two budget wrap-up sessions before Strickland’s $667 million proposed operating budget and $85 million proposed capital budget get a final vote.

Council members also voted in the meeting that lasted more than six hours to add $235,000 for a new program to certify all companies doing business with the city, to reduce the budget for fuel expenses by $750,000, add $957,499 for grants to 14 nonprofit organizations, and add $6,500 for two paid council interns.

Jones proposed expanding certifications to all businesses, not just those owned by minorities, because he said they should all be on the same playing field. All firms doing business with Memphis already register with the city, although only companies that want to be eligible for minority- or women-owned business programs or city goals currently have to receive additional certification.

Jones also proposed reducing the fuel expense, despite warnings from General Services Director Antonio Adams that the budget could be tightened during “grass mitigation” season this summer.

Among the nonprofit organizations that received grants was the Greater Whitehaven Economic Development Corp., which received $300,000 to shepherd development in Whitehaven — including implementing the Aerotropolis plan for the area around Memphis International Airport.

The changes approved by the committee increased the operating budget by $448,999 to $666.8 million, which is still less than the $667.2 million proposed budget.

The council also increased the capital budget by $2.9 million to $86.5 million, which is higher than the proposed $85.4 million.

The largest piece of that was $1.47 million for the private redevelopment of Southbrook Mall, whose funding was pulled by former mayor A C Wharton in favor of a broader plan for Whitehaven redevelopment. The money legally can only be used for improvements to public infrastructure.

The committee also added $650,000 for two areas of the city to use new shooting pinpoint technology by company ShotSpotter — despite police saying there may be more efficient ways of targeting crime; $300,000 for redevelopment in Klondike; $105,000 for new Memphis City Beautiful trash cans at major intersections; and $420,000 for community center improvement projects.

The committee also heard a presentation by the administration for why it should add back $2.5 million that was cut in a previous budget hearing but took no action.

The council has until the end of June to finalize a budget.

When Strickland presented his proposed budget to council in April, he touted it as being “brilliant at the basics,” with increases over previous years for the three Ps: public safety, paving and pensions.

His proposed budget increased operations spending by $9 million and capital spending by $23 million over current fiscal-year levels.

With its windshield cracked and a thick layer of dust encrusting the steering wheel and dashboard instruments, Bus No. 127 clearly is not in service.

It hasn’t been for several years, in fact. Along with some three dozen other vehicles parked in a lot behind the Memphis Area Transit Authority’s maintenance barn, the bus was idled long ago — well before reaching its anticipated life span — because of chronic breakdowns.

Already beset with financial, regulatory and structural problems, MATA is stuck with 38 buses so prone to malfunction that they have been parked for years.

Because these “lemons” — as some agency board members have described them — didn’t make it even close to the mileage mandated by regulators, MATA can’t scrap them unless local or nonfederal money is used to purchase replacement vehicles. Otherwise, the federal government, which funded 80 percent of the purchase price of the vehicles, will demand repayment of its costs. That figure is at least $2.1 million, said Ron Garrison, CEO of MATA.

The troubled vehicles, all purchased from a variety of manufacturers between 1999 and 2011, help explain why MATA has requested $5 million in capital funds from City Council to buy new buses. In addition to the buses that never reached their expected life spans, many vehicles in MATA’s fleet of 160-plus fixed-route buses have been overworked — driven well beyond the point at which they were eligible to be retired.

“We’re trying to make the best of what we have …,” said Garrison, who was hired for MATA’s top job less than two years ago, after Will Hudson retired.

The buses were idled because the previous administration at MATA apparently decided “it was less expensive to not drive them,” Garrison said. “They just kept breaking down all the time.”

The Federal Transit Authority generally mandates that buses travel up to 400,000-500,000 miles before being retired.

Fourteen of the so-called lemons are full-sized fixed-route buses purchased in 1999 and 2000. They lasted an average of only 164,000 miles — about one-third the required mileage — before being idled.

Three smaller buses purchased in 2002 were parked for good after reaching an average of 330,000 miles, while 11 others, acquired in 2005, were idled after traveling an average of 232,000 miles. Ten more buses, purchased in 2011, were parked after reaching an average of only 138,000 miles.

“These just weren’t quality vehicles,” Garrison said, adding that all the buses have exceeded warranty coverage.

MATA board member John Vergos said the FTA could be partly to blame for the purchase of the shoddy vehicles. He said MATA followed the guidelines set by the agency and purchased buses from vendors it approved.

“In essence, they were selling us Ford Pintos,” Vergos said, referring to a car model notorious for defects.

Lemon buses are far from MATA’s only problem. In addition to the capital funds for new vehicles, the transit agency asked City Council for an increase of $7 million in operating funds for the coming fiscal year to ease budget strains that have left it, in Garrison’s words, “on the verge of collapse.”

Despite the problems with the previous vehicle purchases, Garrison said he’s confident MATA will purchase only well built buses from now on. He has more than 26 years’ experience at transit agencies in different cities.

A one-year-old boy in India who developed pubic hair and sexual urges has been diagnosed with a rare hormonal condition.

The toddler, known only as Akash, was found to have the testosterone level of a 25-year-old.

This meant he had adult-sized genitalia, facial and body hair and his voice was starting to break.

Doctors now say he is suffering from precocious puberty – defied as any child who goes through puberty before the age of seven or eight.

Akash’s parents first noticed something was wrong six months ago.

His genitals were growing abnormally big, while the rest of his body was too small compared to other children his age.

The child’s unnamed mother told the Hindustan Times: ‘We thought maybe he was just a big baby, so we did not take him to the doctor.

‘But by the time he was one, it was apparent there was something wrong.

‘My mother-in-law, who has taken care of several children in the family, also said that his growth seemed unnatural. That is when we took him to the doctor.’

Precocious puberty is a rare condition. The youngest mother on record, Lina Medina, gave birth at the age of five years and seven months in Peru in 1939, and became an international celebrity at the time.

Her parents had assumed her growing abdomen was due to a tumour. But when remedies failed to cure it, her father took her to hospital.

Just one month later she astounded the world by giving birth to a boy – and becoming the the youngest mother in history aged just five years and seven months.

Akash’s doctor, Vaishakhi Rustagi, told the Hindustan Times: ‘Precocious puberty is traumatic for a child of his age and it makes them violent – his muscle strength increased to a level that even his parents couldn’t control him.’

Another danger is that the child will stop growing prematurely, therefore remaining 3-4ft tall for life.

The toddler has now been given medication to relieve his symptoms – at least until he is old enough to understand his condition, doctors said.

Stephen Curry dribbled every which way and drained yet another 3-pointer in the waning moments, pulled his jersey up into his mouth and yelled to the rafters in triumph once more.

A special, record-setting season saved for the defending champs, with a memorable comeback added to the long list of accomplishments.

Now, the MVP and his teammates are playing for another NBA title — just as they planned all along.

Bring on LeBron James once more.

Curry and Klay Thompson carried the 73-win Warriors right back to the NBA Finals, as Golden State rallied from a 3-1 series deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 96-88 on Monday night in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.

Curry scored 36 points with seven 3-pointers to finish with an NBA-record 32 in a seven-game series, while Thompson added 21 points and six 3s, two days after his record 11 3-pointers led a Game 6 comeback that sent the series home to raucous Oracle Arena for one more.

The Warriors became the 10th team to rally from a 3-1 deficit and win a postseason series. They return to the NBA Finals for a rematch with James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lost the 2015 title in six games as Golden State captured its first championship in 40 years.

Game 1 is Thursday night in Oakland.

His signature mouthpiece dangling out and the game ball cradled in his left hand, Curry pumped his right arm as yellow confetti fell through Oracle Arena once the final buzzer sounded.

The Thunder trailing 90-86, Serge Ibaka fouled Curry on a 3-point try with 1:18 to go and the shot clock running out. The MVP made all three free throws, then a 3-pointer to seal it.

And Golden State’s beloved “Strength In Numbers” catchphrase coined by Coach of the Year Steve Kerr was needed in every way on this night to do it.

Andre Iguodala joined the starting lineup for just the second time all season and the 2015 NBA Finals MVP hung tough against Kevin Durant, who scored 27 points on 10-for-19 shooting. Russell Westbrook had 19 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds.

Oklahoma City won Game 1 108-102 at deafening, soldout Oracle Arena, so Golden State never envisioned this one coming easily.

It just took a quarter and a half for Thompson to warm up after he hit an NBA playoff-record 11 3-pointers for 41 points in a 108-101 win Saturday at Oklahoma City that sent the series to a decisive seventh game back home in the East Bay.

He missed his initial seven shots before hitting a 3 6:02 before halftime, energizing the Warriors in their first Game 7 at home in 40 years.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Thompson and Iguodala pulled the Warriors within 54-51 with 7:57 left in the third. They tied it on Curry’s 3 at 7:21 and he followed with another 3 to give his team the lead.

Curry and Thompson each topped the previous record for 3s in a seven-game series, 28 by Dennis Scott and Ray Allen. Curry hit one over 7-foot Steven Adams in the third, and Thompson wound up with 30.

Iguodala replaced Harrison Barnes in the starting lineup for just his second start of the season and first of the playoffs, and what a move by Kerr and his staff, who did the same thing last year in crunch time. Iguodala made a pretty bounce pass through the paint to Draymond Green for Golden State’s first basket of the game, and his smothering defense on Durant kept the Thunder star without a shot until his 3 at the 5:45 mark in the first. Durant had just nine points on five shots in the first half.

But Oklahoma City dictated the tempo with snappy passes and the hard, aggressive rebounding that had been such a part of its success this season. The Thunder couldn’t maintain it.

The Warriors, who began 3 for 11 from long range and 9 of 32 overall while falling behind 35-22, lost their last Game 7 at home: 94-86 to Phoenix in the Western Conference finals on May 16, 1976.

(NEWSER) – To Snoop Dogg, Roots, 12 Years a Slave, Underground, and other depictions of slavery apparently aren’t important history lessons, but attempts to rub black people’s faces in the oppression they suffered centuries ago. In an expletive-filled Instagram video, the rapper urges fans to steer clear of the History Channel’s Roots remake, People reports. “They gonna just keep beating that [expletive] in our heads of how they did us, huh?” he says. “They just want to keep showing the abuse that we took hundreds and hundreds of years ago. But, guess what? We taking the same abuse.” He then wonders: “When you all going to make a [expletive] series about the success black folks is having?”

Many Instagram commenters strongly disagreed with Snoop. “If the main theme one gets out of Roots is people getting beat then they may be viewing the series with tunnel vision and miss the resilience, strength, and humanity of a people in the face of unimaginable conditions,” wrote “monecho1.” Before Snoop’s comments, Roots remake co-producer LeVar Burton, who starred in the original series, told USA Today that the new series should be part of the national conversation. “If you are living in America right now, then the story of slavery is relevant to you, because it’s shaped the country and the culture in which you live, whether you want to admit that or not,” he said. The Guardian notes that Snoop said black people should create works based on “how we inspire people today” and is walking it like he talks it: He’s starring in the Coach Snoop reality series about the Snoop Youth Football League, which he set up to help inner-city children.